Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 35 i Cyclist Australia

Campagnolo has turned the dial up to 12. Its latest Record and Super Record groupsets now come with 12 sprockets on the cassette, which means that the jumps are smaller between gears, regardless of whether you choose the 11-29 or the 11-32 cassette options. Despite the extra sprocket, the new cassette will fit onto the same freehub body as the previous 11-speed, so there’s no need to buy new wheels. The sprockets are simply thinner and more closely spaced, as is the chain, although Campagnolo insists nothing has been lost in terms of strength. The rest of the groupset has been updated as well. The hoods and levers are larger and have been reshaped to fit hands better. The derailleurs have also been redesigned front and back to shift in…

You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. And when it comes to the S-Works 7, future civilisations could probably clone us from a set, thanks to Specialized’s custom-moulded Body Geometry insoles. But the S-Works 7s also suggest efficiency, a particularity about comfort and a dash of good looks. The most obvious update from the S-Works 6 shoe is that Specialized has scored exclusive use of these fetching CNC-machined alloy Boa dials. We won’t be seeing the S3 Boa dials on any competitor shoe for at least a year, but these dials are not just bling – they offer more finely tuned 1mm micro-adjustments and a clutch spring inside to aid retention, while trimming a few grams off the previous generation of Boas. Our size 46 pair…

27 Miles (or 43km): the signed length of the Mount Lemmon climb to Ski Valley 45 Kilometres, the reality of climbing all the way to the summit observatory 2,658 Calories burnt on the way up 466 Calories burnt on the way down 124 Estimated net calorie deficit given scoffing of giant pastry and cookie 38 Peak temperature in Celsius 15,000 Price in US$ being asked for a stolen 200-year-old saguaro cactus (the cactus rustler trying to sell it got six months in prison)…

1981 Born 11th May in Southport, Queensland, Australia. 2004 Wins the Crocodile Trophy, a gruelling 10-day mountain bike race in his native Queensland – then repeats the feat the following year. 2007 After three years riding as an amateur, signs a pro contract for T-Mobile. Rides his first Grand Tour at the Vuelta, finishing 88th overall. 2008 Wins the Australian time-trial title, his only national success to date on the road or against the clock. 2011 Moves to Omega Pharma-Lotto and is included in the team’s Vuelta a España line-up, the first of his 19 straight Grand Tours. 2012 Becomes the second Australian to start all three Grand Tours in one season, after Neil Stephens in 1992. 2013 Wins Stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia, the sole survivor from a…

Among the issues that dominate any discussion of women’s racing are the introduction of a minimum wage for professionals, television coverage, proposals for a women’s Tour de France and whether men’s WorldTour teams should also run a women’s team. Gracie Elvin, who helps run The Cyclists’ Alliance, puts the minimum wage as the number one issue. Lizzie Deignan, the former World Champion, prioritises TV coverage. ‘We’re a business-led sport – we need investment and that’s only going to come from us being able to offer sponsors more exposure,’ says Deignan. ‘It’s chicken-and-egg. If we can grow the sport through TV coverage and greater investment, the minimum wage would follow, and that would help improve the depth of talent of the peloton. ‘I’m not in favour of men’s teams being forced…

TRAVEL The Faroe Islands isn't exactly a skip and a hop from Australia but good things come to those who wait – and travel. Flights from major capital cities start from around $2,000 return, with the final leg taken from Copenhagen the most accessible option. Expect a couple of stops along the way with around 30 hours of travel time. WHERE WE STAYED We stayed at Hotel Runavik (hotelrunavik.fo) in Runavík, which was extremely obliging towards all our needs in preparation for this ride. Its restaurant comes highly recommended, with a superb selection of traditional and local fish dishes. Postride we stayed in the Hostel Kerjalon on the outskirts of the capital city, Tørshavn, which was basic, but clean and well priced. For a touch more luxury, try the adjacent…

In the Venn diagram of Specialized’s race bikes, the crossover area between the Tarmac and the Venge seems to be getting bigger. The Tarmac has traditionally been the company’s lightweight climber’s bike, but in its newest guise more attention has been paid to aerodynamics. Now Specialized has launched the latest version of its aero road bike, the Venge, and it seems that a considerable amount of work has gone into making it lighter. Could it be that the two bikes are slowly morphing into one another? ‘Even though it feels like the Tarmac and Venge are getting closer and closer, the aero and weight differences between them are actually nearly the same as when we first introduced the Venge,’ says Chris Yu, Specialized’s director of integrated technologies. ‘Just as the…

There is a point in every Grand Tour – typically as soon as the road tilts upwards – when at least half the peloton disappears from view. We hear talk of riders mysteriously ‘buying tickets for the autobus’ or ‘joining the gruppetto’. While the cameras remain fixed on the breakaway and the GC contenders, what happens in the gruppetto stays in the gruppetto. It sounds like some kind of secret society where the pace is easy and beer and hot dogs are passed around. In a sport that has ‘suffering’ as its default setting, it’s hard not to believe the gruppetto is a day spa for the weary and aching. In reality, says Chris Boardman, the gruppetto is ‘based on the old premise that misery loves company’. In his book…

To download this route go to strava.com/routes/15415241. Start at Le Buzz Cafe on E Tanque Verde Rd on the outskirts of Tucson. Head northeast on the adjacent E Catalina Highway, and look out for mile post zero at the intersection with N Mt Lemmon Short Rd, where the ascent begins. Follow the road into the mountains, checking off waypoints at the Molino Basin, Thimble Peak and Windy Point at mile post 14. Willow Canyon, Palisades Visitor Centre and Bear Wallow follow, then it’s on to Summerhaven and Ski Valley. Just before the blue town sign for Summerhaven, take the fork right, signed E Ski Run Rd, and follow the road to the observatory. Return to the fork and turn right into Summerhaven for one almighty descent.…

TRAVEL Virgin and Qantas offer flights to Tucson via Los Angeles starting around $1,400 return. Cheaper flights operated by American Airlines, Delta and United are available and it's not uncommon to find return flights closer to $1,000. Be aware, nearly all internal flights within the US, including your international return, charge a bike carrying fee of approximately US$150 each flight. Departure from Australia won't be an issue (if you book an extra piece or purchase an oversized item) but be aware flights within the US will likely incur an additional charge during check-in. ACCOMMODATION We stayed in two marvellous hotels. If luxury is your thing, the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa (jwmarriottstarrpass.com) on the edge of the Saguaro National Park is hard to beat. If laidback chilling is…

…HIS FAVOURITE GRAND TOUR ‘I really do like them all. The Giro is the most passionate. Italy is lovely, with a really mixed type of racing, unexpected weather and passionate fans. The Tour fans are more like tourists, not cyclists, and it can be stressful with the media attention and pressure, but it’s the biggest race in the world. Because the Vuelta is at the end of the season, it’s more relaxed. Sometimes the stage starts at 1pm and your wake-up time might be 10am.’ …INTIMIDATION IN THE PELOTON ‘Because I wasn’t a cycling fan and I didn’t have the knowledge of other riders I wasn’t intimidated by them. When I turned professional in 2007 Mario Cipollini was exiting the sport, but he had control of the peloton so you…

To download this route go to strava.com/routes/15458445 and follow us on Strava. From Klaksvík head through the tunnel towards Leirvík, then avoid the second tunnel by following the old road (route 94) around the headland. Turn left and pass the tunnel exit onto the main road (route 10) for the descent, then take a sharp right turn at Skipanes. Stay on route 10, until a right turn on route 60 to Gjógv. Retrace the route, then descend on route 61 to Elði. Follow route 23 south along the fj ord to a bridge at Norðskáli, then cross and follow the opposite edge of the fj ord north on route 54 to Tjørnuvík. Return to the bridge, head south and take route 11 through the tunnel to Sandavágur. Continue past Vágar…

Rapha’s new Crit Pro Team kit is designed specifically for the cut and thrust of criterium racing, so aims to be just as slippery as the oil slick colourway suggests. The jersey’s aggressive cut has been carried over from Rapha’s existing Pro Team kit, which was tested in the wind-tunnel and on the WorldTour when the British brand sponsored Team Sky. The bibshorts have been developed further since then, and now possess a longer cut and only a single seam to help smooth the passage of air over the rider. Making the kit even more crit-specific is the inclusion of a transparent mesh that overlays the three rear pockets of the jersey, so you can display your race number without having to pin it on. Reflective logos are printed onto…

Sam Welsford Age: 22 Born: January 19, 1996 Hometown: Perth, WA AIS Scholarship Kelland O’Brien Age: 20 Born: May 22, 1998 Hometown: Melbourne, VIC AIS Scholarship Leigh Howard Age: 29 Born: October 18, 1989 Hometown: Geelong, VIC AIS Scholarship Cameron Scott Age: 20 Born: January 4, 1998 Hometown: Camden, NSW AIS Scholarship Freddy Ovett Age: 24 Born: January 16, 1994 Hometown: Noosa, QLD BMC Racing stagiaire Michael Potter Age: 21 Born: June 11, 1997 Hometown: Hornsby Heights, NSW Sydney University – Engineering Toby Orchard Age: 22 Born: May 20, 1996 Hometown: Bowral, NSW Ashley Mackay Age: 22 Born: January 26, 1996 Hometown: Perth, WA USC – Bachelor of Sports Studies Amarni Drake Age: 19 Born: October 25, 1999 Hometown: Gold Coast, QLD USC – Bachelor of Sports Studies Jonathan Noble…

Adam Hansen is not like other cyclists. This is, in one respect, a simple statement of fact: at this year’s Giro d’Italia the Australian completed a record-breaking 20th back-to-back Grand Tour – a uniquely demanding athletic accomplishment involving over 60,000km of racing in the Giro, Tour and Vuelta over the course of eight years, which is unlikely to be matched in his lifetime. However, it’s equally true when applied to his life off the bike. Hansen is a talented computer programmer who has lectured at Queensland’s James Cook University and built the bespoke logistics software used by his team, Lotto Soudal. An imaginative designer, he manufactured his own feather-light carbon shoes (now part of his Hanseeno apparel range) in the basement of his home in the Czech Republic, where he…

In 2007, when she was just 18, Lizzie Deignan (then Armitstead) was chasing the dream, hoping to ride the major races in Europe and turn professional. In her first year as a senior she went to one such major event, the Tour of Brittany. It felt more like a school trip than an international bike race, not least because they were put up at night in classrooms, sleeping on camp beds. School desks were positioned between the beds to give the riders some privacy. On the final night there was a treat for the riders: a night in a hotel. The scales fell from Deignan’s eyes as they pulled off a busy main road on the outskirts of town at a Hotel F1: a chain not exactly renowned for luxury.…

TRAVEL Thai Airways operates direct flights to Bangkok departing from Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Daily flights operate from Perth and depart, depending on your chosen date, in either the morning or late afternoon. Flight time is approximately seven hours with a return flight costing around $750 if booked for May 2019. We spent two days in Bangkok before taking a short domestic flight from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok to Nakhon Phanom. AirAsia and Nok Air operate multiple flights on nearly every day of the week – we flew with Nok Air. Flights start at around $25 each way. The flight itself was painless at just one hour in length. ACCOMMODATION In Bangkok, we spent the night at the cycling-friendly Nandha Hotel (nandhahotelsthailand.com), which is situated in the Sukhumvit…

It may not be the Alps or the Pyrenees, but there’s scarcely any flat ground on the Faroe Islands, so BMC’s latest flagship racer, at just 6.87kg, was a real treat for this ride. Every time the road pointed skywards I was grateful for the feathery feel combined with the immense stiffness its chunky tubeset and massive bottom bracket structure offers, such that each pedal stroke felt like a concerted leap forward. The bike was agile on descents too, quick to respond to my inputs without being too twitchy. DT’s carbon PRC 1400 wheels spun up to speed well and the braking performance was good in the dry, although riding the following day in heavy rain I discovered they were particularly poor at stopping in the wet (not helped by…